Gardens By The Bay - Tulipmania At The Dutch Countryside

Explore the Dutch countryside as Tulipmania returns to Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay with a brand-new tulip display set in an idyllic pastoral landscape. Discover the agricultural roots of the Netherlands with a stroll across blooming tulip fields dotted with traditional thatched-roof farmhouses, stopping ever so often to admire the over 35 varieties of tulips, including crowd-pleasers such as the brilliant golden "Yellow Flight" and new ones like the vibrant red and white "Singapura" which commemorates the 200th anniversary of Singapore's founding.

Imagine riding a bicycle through fields and fields of colourful tulips...

Or drive by with a mini-truck...

Along the way, learn about the different stages of growth in a tulip's life cycle, step into a windmill to take a closer look at its clockwork mechanism within, and look out for adorable cow and chicken sculptures roaming the tulip fields in a quaint little Dutch village.

Visit a Dutch farmhouse and see the waterwheel at work...

Idyllic scenes along the Dutch countryside...

Customize your own digital Delft Blue Tile at the KLM Gardens By The Bay Digital Wall in Flower Dome. Include a caption on why you love Tulipmania and stand a chance to win a pair of return KLM tickets to Amsterdam.

The Origami Tulip Project features delightful paper tulips folded members of our community, including school students, members of the public, and Gardens By The Bay staff and  volunteers. Through getting people together to fold origami tulips, the project promoted social interaction, an appreciation for nature and the beauty of flowers. 

Complementing the country-style tulip display this year is a European-themed fair that runs from 12 to 21 April in the Flower Field Hall. Experience a slice of Europe with an array of delicious food items, cultural performances and fun activities. 

Feast on unique Dutch food such as Bitterballen, a savoury Dutch snack made of meat, broth, butter and flour; Stroopwafel, a popular snack consisting of a waffle biscuit with a caramel filling; and Olliebollen, a traditional Dutch donut.

Tulipmania is on from 0900-2100 hours daily at the FLower Dome from 12 April - 20 May 2019. For more information, check out the Gardens By The Bay website here.

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Compass One's Go Sustainable Initiative

On 15 April, Compass One launched its green initiative as Singapore’s first mall to pledge support for The Food Bank’s "Food Wastage Reduction & Fight Hunger" movement.

A strong supporter of the waste reduction cause, this initiative is in line with NEA’s efforts to reduce food waste. Compass One is also the first mall to donate cooked food to Food Bank, which is now included in its food rescue plans. It has actively encouraged mall tenants to participate in this food wastage reduction drive by donating their excess cooked food to The Food Bank. 

The pioneer batch of participating mall tenants, such as Kopitiam, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, The Soup Restaurant, Ichiban Sushi and Hong Kong Sheng Kee Pau, has shown enthusiastic support for this food rescue programme. The donated food is stored, managed and distributed to over 300 charity organizations and beneficiaries in Singapore.

In conjunction with the food rescue programme for its green initiative, and with its aim to be a one-stop collection hub for recyclables and excess food within the neighbourhood for Sengkang residents and shoppers, Compass One is also launching a series of fringe activities to encourage the community to actively contribute to waste reduction. 

Try your hand at making a bag out of your old clothes : 1) Cut both sides of an old T-shirt to open up the seams. 2) Next, cut the bottom third of the shirt into inch-wide strips. 3) Tie each pair of strips together. 4) Cross tip adjoining strips. 5) You now have a bag made from your old T-shirt.

For more information on the initiative, visit the Compass One website here.

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The International SeaKeepers Society Asia - Awards Dinner 2019

Merlion Wayfarer recently attended The International SeaKeepers Society Asia Awards Dinner. The prestigious event was held at ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove, Singapore.

The event started with an address by Julian Chang, Director and Asia President, of The International SeaKeepers Society, and Richard Snow, President and CEO, and was followed by a sharing by Gail Tay, Director of Operations.

Midway, the presentation by Dr Poh Seng Chee and Dr James Tan of the Universiti Malaysia Trengganu Ocean Monitoring Project, and was followed with a presentation of SeaKeeper Awards, and Closing Remarks.

The ocean-friendly appetizer was Honey Mustard Graviax, Mango Salsa Poached Tiger Prawns, and Peruvian Sea Scallop with shiso cress and xres reduction...

Mains were either the Castaing Duck Confit with apple balsamic-glazed vegetables, whole grain mustard fingeling promme au jus, or the Provencale herbs Cruster White Snapper with vichy carrot, asparagus and grain dauphinoise beurre blanc...

With the dessert being Poached Pear Frangipane Tart with forest berry confiture, vanilla extract and almond crumbs...

About The International SeaKeepers Society

The International SeaKeepers Society supports marine science and conservation by utilizing yachts as platforms for marine research, educational outreach, and to deploy oceanographic instruments. The Society promotes oceanographic research, conservation, and education through direct involvement with the yachting community. It enables the yachting community to take full advantage of their unique potential to advance marine sciences and to raise awareness about global ocean issues. By tapping on yacht owners, expensive vessel costs are reduced while at the same time, permitting scientists to allocate those funds to maximize research potential.

Members of SeaKeepers include influential opinion leaders who believe that the best way to protect the environment is to protect the world’s oceans. They recognize the ocean’s critical importance to the life of our planet and are deeply committed to finding real-world solutions to the problems now plaguing our marine environment. The small but distinguished membership includes entrepreneurs, yachtsmen, corporations, divers, scientists and concerned citizens building a global effort to help restore and protect the world’s oceans. As a private/public collaborative effort, the Society focuses on critical ocean issues in cooperation with government agencies, other like-minded organizations, the academic community, and the public with the motto - "Research, Educate, Protect, and Restore".

For more information, visit their website at www.seakeepers.org/aboutus/.

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Asia's Got Talent Season 3 - The Grand Finalists

After weeks of tough competition and impressive performances, the Grand Final of Asia’s Got Talent Season 3 took place on Thursday at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore with a show-stopping performance. Fans have voted and the judges have made their picks. 

The 9 Grand Finalists are:

• JUNIOR GOOD VIBES : youtu.be/fUUzcv4bKQs
  
  
• Yang Shih Hao : youtu.be/EneJnelG2uY
  
  
• Power Duo: youtu.be/QmpTip3Pe-o
  
  
• NAMA: youtu.be/meZZRca3yGg
  
  
• MANIAC Family: youtu.be/-lV-Q-EGp04
  
  
• Siti Saniyah:  youtu.be/Z_sxd3EzokE
  
  
• Eric Chien : youtu.be/p3uMK5t2I7k
  
  
• Shadow Ace : youtu.be/NpuVv3NqKYA
  
  
• Yaashwin Sarawanan: youtu.be/XEi21G6aRK8

Merlion Wayfarer had the chance to meet and talk to some of the Grand Finalists. Here are their stories:

This is the MANIAC Family from Taiwan, a hiphop group formed by a teacher with her students. Coming from very different backgrounds and now each with their own jobs and schedules, their commitment to their group requires them to spend many sleepless nights practising their coordinated dance routines. Yes, with so many opinions in the group, they do quarrel often. But the successful resolution of each quarrel helps them understand each other better and bonds them even closer together... 

We have never seen a dance performance where the love between a couple showed so clearly from a TV/stage performance. Yet these two made their love come through to touch us from afar. Anjanette is a short, bubbly powerhouse who bounces and chirps excitedly as she speaks. Jervin is her stable other half who holds and catches her every move, fall and slide. When asked how do they create the spark in their relationship despite the humdrum of everyday couple life, they shared about the trust required in each other, and that they never quarrel beyond a day. To them, we said, "You are the inspiration behind all romantic couples"...

This is Junior Good Vibes. From practising on the streets to the Grand Finals of the Asia's Got Talent show with phrases heaped on by rapper-dancer Jay Park, they're an inspiration to all.

When asked what message will they want to share with others who have a dream, they said they hope to inspire others with their own story - if they can do it, others can do it too...

During the semi-finals, we were mesmerized by Yang Shihao's performance with his Cyr Wheel. With the wheel weighing at least 15 kg, he seemed to be almost one with it as he executed his acrobatic moves. His performances from the heats to the finals was all about his life story accompanied by spellbinding music. When speaking to him, a very down-to-earth Shihao shares his story about how knowing and practising with the wheel has given him discipline and direction in life. He showed me his hands. Even now, after years of practice, he still injures himself all the time. The back of his hand showed several chipped and bruised nails. His palms were full of calluses from gripping the heavy wheel. Yet, he remains devoted to his craft...

All nine acts will be up for public voting and only one act will be crowned the winner of Asia’s Got Talent and awarded the grand prize of US$100,000. Voting opens from Thursday, 4 April until Wednesday, 10 April, 11:59pm, and fans can vote via Google Search and Facebook Messenger. For more information on voting, visit www.AXN-Asia.com/AGTVote.

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REWILD Our Planet - An AR Experience

From now to 02 June 2019, ArtScience Museum visitors will be able to explore the forests of Borneo or dive deep into the coastal seas of Southeast Asia with REWILD Our Planet, Singapore’s first Social Augmented Reality (AR) experience jointly developed by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Google, Netflix, ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands and PHORIA. The sensorial experience connects people to nature and one another through immersive storytelling that blends cutting-edge AR technology with stunning 4K video footage from Our Planet, a new Netflix original documentary series voiced by world-renowned naturalist, Sir David Attenborough, that launches today.

“Global wildlife populations have declined by 60 percent in the last 40 years due to unsustainable human activity, which impacts the very natural systems that our survival depends on. We need to not just stop, but reverse, the loss of nature. Bringing the challenges and solutions to life through REWILD Our Planet will help people around the world understand that they have a shared responsibility to act and protect nature. The powerful message conveyed dovetails with a unique opportunity to call for urgent action to protect the one place we call home, sending the clear message that it is no longer acceptable to continue to destroy our environment.”

--- Kim Stengert, Chief, Strategic Communications and External Relations, WWF-Singapore ---

Unlike these children living near the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia where the environmental impact of their everyday daily lifestyle are immediately visible to them, most of our children today live in the cities and are far removed from the impact that their consumption habits can create...

REWILD Our Planet is built around four natural landscapes representing the last wilderness places on Earth:

1. Forests of Borneo and India
   
2. Oceans of Asia
   
3. Grasslands of Mongolia
   
4. Frozen worlds of the Arctic

Combining spectacular IMAX-style projections with spatial soundscapes and AR, the experience unfolds through the lens of the Google Pixel 3, where groups of participants can work together to build natural landscapes in 3D. They will unlock global weather patterns and magical animal encounters, ending with a deeper understanding of shared solutions and a meaningful pledge to act and help bring nature back.

Where there is no visual with the naked eye, a globe appears out of the blue when the phone is pointed in the right direction. The story of our planet ensues...

To vote, all you have to do is to walk towards the habitat of your choice. The sum total of all the votes will then be totalled on the screen to select the most highly-voted habitat...

Want to play your part to REWILD? Walk around the grid with your phone over the fields burnt for crops and palm oil. Magically, your every step will create a lush green undergrowth...

Watch it happen in these videos...

“REWILD Our Planet showcases how AR has the power to build bridges between people and the places they love. This evocative experience emphasises the connection between human beings and our environment. It generates a sense of presence and interactivity for every individual user. Building this exhibition with Netflix and Google and combining it with compassion-driven narrative from WWF demonstrates how emerging XR technologies will transform the social impact sector for good.”

--- Trent Clews-de Castella, CEO of PHORIA ---

REWILD Our Planet is located at the Inspiration Gallery at Level 4 of the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands. Open daily from 1000-1900 hours, admission is free. 

For more information, visit:

• REWILD.wwf.sg
  
• www.marinabaysands.com/museum/REWILD-our-planet
    

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